Cooking

We’ve all stumbled upon a Jack La Lanne infomercial while scrolling through our television channels and paused to check out "Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer". This thing is phenomenal and Jack Lelane and his wife Elaine are in wonderful shape! Jack and Elaine have maintained a healthy lifestyle for years by working out and eating healthy. They certainly make their fair share of money by selling their power juicer but they also send the public a great message- that you can still be healthy at 95 years old! Jack still works out for two hours a day, spending 30 minutes swimming and the rest of the time lifting weights.

I have never known or seen anyone at or near Jack’s age in this great shape- in fact, he earned the nickname "the godfather of fitness"! Jack has taught many people throughout the years how to stay fit and eat the right foods on "The Jack LaLanne Show" that ran from 1951-1985 on ABC. He released a record in 1959 titled Glamour Stretcher Time in which Jack instructed his listeners on how to best to work out with an elastic cord. Jack was not only popular on TV and in stereo- he also wrote his share of books. Jack’s books contain everything from how to cook healthy meals, the best ways to juice, how to stay fit after 50 and how to make more money. He released his most recent book, Live Young Forever on his 95th birthday! This book gives advice on how to stay healthy, sexually active and stress free during your older years. Jack made an appearance in the 1960’s TV sitcom The Addam’s Family and in the movies Batman (1966), Repossessed (1990), Sundance Film Festival docu-drama Beefcake (1999) and Hollywood’s Magical Island: Catalina (2003).

Jack Le Lanne has made his message known through many forms of media. What makes him so qualified to give such advice? He holds a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Oakland Chiropractic College in California. He wanted his patients to maximize their health by working out and gaining more strength and thought it would be great to open his own fitness center in 1939. He created some of his own fitness equipment including the weight selectors that are now found in gyms everywhere! Many of you probably work out in the gym that was once part of Jack Le Lanne’s chain. You know it better as Bally’s Total Fitness.

Jack has received many honors for his personal and professional accomplishments. He won a total of 6 awards in 2005 when he was 91 years old, one of which was the Medical Media Public Service Award. Jack was also inducted to the National Fitness Hall of Fame that same year. He has always remained motivated and excited to take on new physical challenges. Jack was 40 years old for his first tour de force in the year 1954 when he made the world record for swimming the length of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge dragging 140 lbs. worth of equipment along with him. If you think this was a difficult feat, try doing it under water! This was not Jack Le Lanne’s only world record. He did it again two years later when he performed 1,033 push-ups in 23 minutes. Jack Le Lanne was 70 years old in 1984 when he swam 1.5 miles, pulling 70 boats carrying 70 people.

Needless to say, Jack Le Lanne and his wife Elaine are amazing people inside and out. I bought his juicer three years ago and it was one of the best things that happened to my health. All it took was three days of juicing to boost my energy and see improvements in my skin and my digestion. Jack and Elaine are not kidding about the power of juicing. You must have the Jack Le Lanne Power Juicer- not only to better your overall health and emotional well-being but also to fight off the flu! I’m choosing to pump myself full of nutrients this winter season and what better way to take in many servings of fruit and vegetables in one shot than to juice? This is a great way to consume foods that are great for you even if you don’t like the way they taste. You can mix and match flavors allowing you to disguise the flavors of foods that aren’t particularly tasty to you. This is awesome for your kids. There are many children who won’t eat a particular food because of its consistency but may enjoy it in a juice! Make fresh juice for your family and yourself with Jack’s juicer and you will see a marked improvement in your quality of life. Don’t forget to keep a lookout for Jack Le Lanne. He’s 95 years old and going strong and might hit another world record some day!

Here are some of Jack’s famous quotes:

"If man made it, don't eat it"
"If it tastes good, spit it out."

“I do it as a therapy. I do it as something to keep me alive. We all need a little discipline. Exercise is my discipline.”

“Your waistline is your lifeline.”

“The food you eat today is walking and talking tomorrow.”

“Remember this: your body is your slave; it works for you.”

“Anything in life is possible if you make it happen.”

“I can't die. It would ruin my image.”

This is a long blog, but it is well worth the read if you love horror, food, drinks, friends and a good story. I was searching the DISH Network Satellite TV channel guide to see what suspenseful movies will be on for the remainder of October. Now that October is here after a very short summer, it is time to prepare for fall festivities and scary movies. I look forward to going apple picking and attending fall fairs, going to the Christmas Tree Shoppe to stock up on fall decor and, of course, curling up on cold weekend nights for some good horror movies!
I started to think about how I can start the Halloween experience early, so I decided that I’m going to invite a few friends over this weekend for a fun night of horror! I'm not going crazy on creepy decorations this year, but we'll certainly light a few candles to set the ambiance. I was thinking of preparing a delicious dinner, followed by two horror movies then a little good night story for my friends before they leave for the evening. I should mention that my daughter is going to be at her grandmother’s house while this is happening! So far, I have found some great recipes from Food Network to share with you for the dinner and treats.

Appetizers
To add some Halloween color into the mix, I’m going to make this appetizer that includes a witch green color.

Roasted Chile Guacamole with Baked Tortilla Chips
Baked Tortilla Chips:
· Cooking spray
· 3 sun-dried tomato basil tortilla wraps
· 3 garden spinach herb tortilla wraps
· Olive oil
· Salt and pepper
Guacamole:
· 1/2 cup frozen chopped onion, thawed
· 2 cups frozen no-salt added petite peas, thawed
· 1/3 cup water
· 2 tablespoons lemon juice
· 1 (1-ounce) packet guacamole seasoning mix
· 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
· 1/2 cup diced tomatoes with no-salt added
· 1 cup chopped avocado
· 1 (7-ounce) can fire roasted diced green chiles
For tortillas chips:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside.
On a cutting board, stack 3 tortillas and using a sharp knife, cut into 8 wedges (like a pie). Repeat with remaining tortillas. Separate any that may stick together. Place on baking sheet, evenly spaced. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Remove and let cool.
For Guacamole:
In a medium saucepan combine onions, peas, water, lemon juice, guacamole seasoning, and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes until ingredients are soft.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Pour cooled pea mixture into a large bowl. Add avocado and mash with a fork or potato masher. Strain tomatoes and add to bowl with green chilies. Mix until blended.
Serve with baked chips.

Since my good little doobie will be at her grandmother’s house, I can also make a few drinks to accompany our appetizers!

Emeril’s Tin Can Margaritas
Ingredients:
· 1 lime, cut in wedges
· Coarse salt, for glasses
· 1 large can frozen limeade
· 1 full can good-quality tequila
· 1/2 can triple-sec
· 1/2 can lemon juice
· Ice
Directions:
Rub rims of glasses with a lime wedge; place salt in a saucer and dip rims. In a pitcher combine remaining ingredients, stir well and fill up with ice. Serve in salt-rimmed glasses with lime wedges.

And now…for the main course…Pumpkin-Peanut Curry Noodles with Five-Spice Seared Scallops and Shrimp, which only takes 20 minutes to cook (believe it or not)!

Ingredients:
· 1 pound spaghetti
· Salt
· 5 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil
· 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
· 2 inches ginger root, minced or grated
· 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
· 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
· 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
· 1/4 to 1/3 cup tamari dark soy sauce, eyeball it
· 1 (15-ounce) can cooked pumpkin
· 2 rounded tablespoonfuls mild or hot curry paste (recommended: Patak's) found on international foods aisle
· 3 tablespoons five-spice powder
· 12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
· 12 diver scallops, trimmed and patted dry
· 4 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces, then thinly sliced lengthwise into matchsticks
Directions:
Heat a large pot of water for noodles. When water boils, salt it and add pasta to cook to al dente or with a bite to it.
While pasta cooks, heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil. Add garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, and pepper flakes to the pan and cook together a couple of minutes, then add peanut butter and melt it. Whisk soy into peanut butter, then stir in pumpkin and curry paste. The sauce will be very thick. Turn down the heat to low. Add a ladle or 2 of pasta cooking water to thin sauce a bit and simmer over low heat. Adjust salt, to taste.
Heat a small to medium skillet over high heat. Pour the five-spice powder onto a plate with some salt. Press both sides of the shrimp and scallops into the powder. Add 3 tablespoons of remaining oil to hot skillet. Place the shrimp in the pan and cook 1 minute, flip and sear the other side until just opaque. Remove shrimp to a plate and set aside. Add another 3 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and heat back up to smoking. Add the scallops and sear on both sides until opaque. Remove scallops and add to the plate of shrimp.
Drain pasta and return pasta to the pot. Add the curry-pumpkin sauce and toss thoroughly. Serve noodles on 4 plated and top with scallions and seafood.

All I have to say is YUM!

And now for dessert…Dirt Pudding! This literally takes 5 minutes!
Have some pudding prepared from the night before, crack open a package of Oreos and crumble the cookies into the pudding. It’s delectable and easy.

It is now time for the feature presentation:

Movie number 1: Scream

Intermission: Coffee with Baileys Irish Cream, Amaretto and Frangelico

Movie number 2: From Dusk Till Dawn

Good night story:
This woman was doing laundry on a Saturday morning while her husband was at work. For some reason every time she pushes her clothes into the washing machine, she gets the feeling that someone is behind her, but she keeps going, admitting the thought is ridiculous. The basement never bothered her before. It isn’t musty as there’s a dehumidifier down there. It hasn’t been emptied for a while but the air is still dry. The cobwebs are always dusted and swept away as she is not fond of spiders, so the basement is fairly clean minus a few bags and it’s bright enough so there are no unlit corners. She hears her son rummaging through something in the living room upstairs, so she quickly goes back upstairs to be sure he is being safe.
Her son decided to try out his new roller-skates while mom was downstairs. The lady reminded her son that he needs to wear a helmet and knee pads if he wants to roller-skate then he can join her in the basement while she washes clothes. There is more room to skate in the large space downstairs. The husband had just recently finished ripping the rug off the basement stairs so he can replace it and there are small nails sticking out of the front of a few of the stairs. The mom tells her son that she’ll carry him downstairs because he’s already wearing his skates and she doesn’t want him to get hurt on the nails. The son complies.
Once the son’s helmet and knee pads are on, the mom sets him free to skate about the basement. Then she gets this horrible chill down her spine and a sick feeling in her stomach so she takes a minute to lean up against the table where she folds her clean clothes. She can’t figure out what the problem is, but her father is in the hospital so she decides to call her mom from the cell phone she has in her sweatshirt pocket to be sure everything is okay with him. Her mom said that everything is good and that her dad will be coming home the next day. Her dad fell and one of his toenails was caught on something and had been ripped off completely. He is a heavy man and any fall he takes is sure to cause some damage, but hooking his toenail on something made it even worse.
“He’s fine”, she thought, “so what can this horrible feeling be?” Her son is skating as fast as he can while holding onto the basement wall. She covers her face with her hands trying to think of what the problem could be. All of a sudden her son catches one of his skates in the grate of the basement drain. His skate stays there and his body goes flying forward. He luckily landed on a trash bag that was full of clothes the mom put down there a week ago for the Salvation Army.
She dashes to her son who is crying out of shock from falling with his new skates. She comforts him and walks over to retrieve his skate, still stuck in the grate of the drain. “These crazy plastic roller-skates. We’ll get you a new pair today, baby”. She looks back down at the skate and notices something hairy sticking out of the drain along with a foul odor.
She calls her husband to come home from work on his break to check this out. She puts on a movie upstairs for her son who is ready for a nap. Her husband gets home shortly after and hurries with her to the basement to see what she was talking about. He grabs a crow bar that was stashed behind the dryer and pries open the drain, catching a bunch of hair along the way and flinging the object across the room once the grate breaks free. It thumps against the wall and falls behind the trash bags full of clothes. They notice that whatever it is, it’s bleeding because there is a splat of blood on the wall. “I wish I had my father check that drain when he was down here last weekend. You know how I like to keep that clean”.
They tiptoe over to where the object had thumped to the ground and peeked behind the bags. They scream and jump back when they realize it’s a human head with skin that is falling off from spending so much time in the drain water. They panic and the husband takes a good look to make sure they didn’t miss anything else down there. He noticed her father’s pocketknife under the basement stairs with blood on it. He does not pick it up. As he examines the stairs for further evidence, he sees what he originally thought was a leftover piece of the carpet he had ripped up and notices that it’s a toenail. “Get upstairs and call the police!”
The wife calls the police who eventually get there and investigate her basement. They observe the head and ask them what is in the bags that are on the floor. The lady tells them that they’re stuffed with clothes. They open the bag and notice body parts that have been hacked up and stuffed in quilts. They take the toenail as evidence.

Goodie Bags to Take Home:

Some fun trinkets from iParty along with some cool Halloween lollipops!

Ingredients:
· 6 or 8-inch wooden pop sticks
· Gummy worms, as needed
· 2 cups sugar
· 2/3 cup corn syrup
· 2/3 cup water
· 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1/4 teaspoon orange, lemon or cherry extract
· Few drops orange food coloring
Directions
Lay a silicone sheet on a baking pan, place the sticks on the pan and place 3 pieces of gummy Worms above the tip of each stick to form a gummy worm triangle.
Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a clean, dry small saucepan. (It is best to use a heavy gauge pan and preferably with a pour spout.) Bring to a boil over high heat and cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 305 degrees F or "hard crack" stage on a candy thermometer. Occasionally wash down the sides of the pan with a clean pastry brush dipped in water to remove any sugar crystals that are clinging to the sides of the pan.
When the mixture reaches 305 degrees F, remove the pan from heat and dip the bottom of the pan into an ice bath for a few seconds to stop the candy from cooking. Add the extracts and food coloring and stir very gently with a wooden spoon so the color is evenly distributed.
Pour the syrup over the gummy worms and just over the stick. Cool the candy for at least 20 minutes.
Lift the lollipops off the silicone and either serve immediately or wrap in an airtight container.

Now, tell me I can’t plan an awesome night of fun with a few close friends!

This is a long blog, but it is well worth the read if you love horror, food, drinks, friends and a good story. I was searching the DISH Network Satellite TV channel guide to see what suspenseful movies will be on for the remainder of October. Now that October is here after a very short summer, it is time to prepare for fall festivities and scary movies. I look forward to going apple picking and attending fall fairs, going to the Christmas Tree Shoppe to stock up on fall decor and, of course, curling up on cold weekend nights for some good horror movies!
I started to think about how I can start the Halloween experience early, so I decided that I’m going to invite a few friends over this weekend for a fun night of horror! I'm not going crazy on creepy decorations this year, but we'll certainly light a few candles to set the ambiance. I was thinking of preparing a delicious dinner, followed by two horror movies then a little good night story for my friends before they leave for the evening. I should mention that my daughter is going to be at her grandmother’s house while this is happening! So far, I have found some great recipes from Food Network to share with you for the dinner and treats.

Appetizers
To add some Halloween color into the mix, I’m going to make this appetizer that includes a witch green color.

Roasted Chile Guacamole with Baked Tortilla Chips
Baked Tortilla Chips:
· Cooking spray
· 3 sun-dried tomato basil tortilla wraps
· 3 garden spinach herb tortilla wraps
· Olive oil
· Salt and pepper
Guacamole:
· 1/2 cup frozen chopped onion, thawed
· 2 cups frozen no-salt added petite peas, thawed
· 1/3 cup water
· 2 tablespoons lemon juice
· 1 (1-ounce) packet guacamole seasoning mix
· 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
· 1/2 cup diced tomatoes with no-salt added
· 1 cup chopped avocado
· 1 (7-ounce) can fire roasted diced green chiles
For tortillas chips:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside.
On a cutting board, stack 3 tortillas and using a sharp knife, cut into 8 wedges (like a pie). Repeat with remaining tortillas. Separate any that may stick together. Place on baking sheet, evenly spaced. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Remove and let cool.
For Guacamole:
In a medium saucepan combine onions, peas, water, lemon juice, guacamole seasoning, and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes until ingredients are soft.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Pour cooled pea mixture into a large bowl. Add avocado and mash with a fork or potato masher. Strain tomatoes and add to bowl with green chilies. Mix until blended.
Serve with baked chips.

Since my good little doobie will be at her grandmother’s house, I can also make a few drinks to accompany our appetizers!

Emeril’s Tin Can Margaritas
Ingredients:
· 1 lime, cut in wedges
· Coarse salt, for glasses
· 1 large can frozen limeade
· 1 full can good-quality tequila
· 1/2 can triple-sec
· 1/2 can lemon juice
· Ice
Directions:
Rub rims of glasses with a lime wedge; place salt in a saucer and dip rims. In a pitcher combine remaining ingredients, stir well and fill up with ice. Serve in salt-rimmed glasses with lime wedges.

And now…for the main course…Pumpkin-Peanut Curry Noodles with Five-Spice Seared Scallops and Shrimp, which only takes 20 minutes to cook (believe it or not)!

Ingredients:
· 1 pound spaghetti
· Salt
· 5 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil
· 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
· 2 inches ginger root, minced or grated
· 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
· 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
· 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
· 1/4 to 1/3 cup tamari dark soy sauce, eyeball it
· 1 (15-ounce) can cooked pumpkin
· 2 rounded tablespoonfuls mild or hot curry paste (recommended: Patak's) found on international foods aisle
· 3 tablespoons five-spice powder
· 12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
· 12 diver scallops, trimmed and patted dry
· 4 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces, then thinly sliced lengthwise into matchsticks
Directions:
Heat a large pot of water for noodles. When water boils, salt it and add pasta to cook to al dente or with a bite to it.
While pasta cooks, heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil. Add garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, and pepper flakes to the pan and cook together a couple of minutes, then add peanut butter and melt it. Whisk soy into peanut butter, then stir in pumpkin and curry paste. The sauce will be very thick. Turn down the heat to low. Add a ladle or 2 of pasta cooking water to thin sauce a bit and simmer over low heat. Adjust salt, to taste.
Heat a small to medium skillet over high heat. Pour the five-spice powder onto a plate with some salt. Press both sides of the shrimp and scallops into the powder. Add 3 tablespoons of remaining oil to hot skillet. Place the shrimp in the pan and cook 1 minute, flip and sear the other side until just opaque. Remove shrimp to a plate and set aside. Add another 3 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and heat back up to smoking. Add the scallops and sear on both sides until opaque. Remove scallops and add to the plate of shrimp.
Drain pasta and return pasta to the pot. Add the curry-pumpkin sauce and toss thoroughly. Serve noodles on 4 plated and top with scallions and seafood.

All I have to say is YUM!

And now for dessert…Dirt Pudding! This literally takes 5 minutes!
Have some pudding prepared from the night before, crack open a package of Oreos and crumble the cookies into the pudding. It’s delectable and easy.

It is now time for the feature presentation:

Movie number 1: Scream

Intermission: Coffee with Baileys Irish Cream, Amaretto and Frangelico

Movie number 2: From Dusk Till Dawn

Good night story:
This woman was doing laundry on a Saturday morning while her husband was at work. For some reason every time she pushes her clothes into the washing machine, she gets the feeling that someone is behind her, but she keeps going, admitting the thought is ridiculous. The basement never bothered her before. It isn’t musty as there’s a dehumidifier down there. It hasn’t been emptied for a while but the air is still dry. The cobwebs are always dusted and swept away as she is not fond of spiders, so the basement is fairly clean minus a few bags and it’s bright enough so there are no unlit corners. She hears her son rummaging through something in the living room upstairs, so she quickly goes back upstairs to be sure he is being safe.
Her son decided to try out his new roller-skates while mom was downstairs. The lady reminded her son that he needs to wear a helmet and knee pads if he wants to roller-skate then he can join her in the basement while she washes clothes. There is more room to skate in the large space downstairs. The husband had just recently finished ripping the rug off the basement stairs so he can replace it and there are small nails sticking out of the front of a few of the stairs. The mom tells her son that she’ll carry him downstairs because he’s already wearing his skates and she doesn’t want him to get hurt on the nails. The son complies.
Once the son’s helmet and knee pads are on, the mom sets him free to skate about the basement. Then she gets this horrible chill down her spine and a sick feeling in her stomach so she takes a minute to lean up against the table where she folds her clean clothes. She can’t figure out what the problem is, but her father is in the hospital so she decides to call her mom from the cell phone she has in her sweatshirt pocket to be sure everything is okay with him. Her mom said that everything is good and that her dad will be coming home the next day. Her dad fell and one of his toenails was caught on something and had been ripped off completely. He is a heavy man and any fall he takes is sure to cause some damage, but hooking his toenail on something made it even worse.
“He’s fine”, she thought, “so what can this horrible feeling be?” Her son is skating as fast as he can while holding onto the basement wall. She covers her face with her hands trying to think of what the problem could be. All of a sudden her son catches one of his skates in the grate of the basement drain. His skate stays there and his body goes flying forward. He luckily landed on a trash bag that was full of clothes the mom put down there a week ago for the Salvation Army.
She dashes to her son who is crying out of shock from falling with his new skates. She comforts him and walks over to retrieve his skate, still stuck in the grate of the drain. “These crazy plastic roller-skates. We’ll get you a new pair today, baby”. She looks back down at the skate and notices something hairy sticking out of the drain along with a foul odor.
She calls her husband to come home from work on his break to check this out. She puts on a movie upstairs for her son who is ready for a nap. Her husband gets home shortly after and hurries with her to the basement to see what she was talking about. He grabs a crow bar that was stashed behind the dryer and pries open the drain, catching a bunch of hair along the way and flinging the object across the room once the grate breaks free. It thumps against the wall and falls behind the trash bags full of clothes. They notice that whatever it is, it’s bleeding because there is a splat of blood on the wall. “I wish I had my father check that drain when he was down here last weekend. You know how I like to keep that clean”.
They tiptoe over to where the object had thumped to the ground and peeked behind the bags. They scream and jump back when they realize it’s a human head with skin that is falling off from spending so much time in the drain water. They panic and the husband takes a good look to make sure they didn’t miss anything else down there. He noticed her father’s pocketknife under the basement stairs with blood on it. He does not pick it up. As he examines the stairs for further evidence, he sees what he originally thought was a leftover piece of the carpet he had ripped up and notices that it’s a toenail. “Get upstairs and call the police!”
The wife calls the police who eventually get there and investigate her basement. They observe the head and ask them what is in the bags that are on the floor. The lady tells them that they’re stuffed with clothes. They open the bag and notice body parts that have been hacked up and stuffed in quilts. They take the toenail as evidence.

Goodie Bags to Take Home:

Some fun trinkets from iParty along with some cool Halloween lollipops!

Ingredients:
· 6 or 8-inch wooden pop sticks
· Gummy worms, as needed
· 2 cups sugar
· 2/3 cup corn syrup
· 2/3 cup water
· 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1/4 teaspoon orange, lemon or cherry extract
· Few drops orange food coloring
Directions
Lay a silicone sheet on a baking pan, place the sticks on the pan and place 3 pieces of gummy Worms above the tip of each stick to form a gummy worm triangle.
Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a clean, dry small saucepan. (It is best to use a heavy gauge pan and preferably with a pour spout.) Bring to a boil over high heat and cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 305 degrees F or "hard crack" stage on a candy thermometer. Occasionally wash down the sides of the pan with a clean pastry brush dipped in water to remove any sugar crystals that are clinging to the sides of the pan.
When the mixture reaches 305 degrees F, remove the pan from heat and dip the bottom of the pan into an ice bath for a few seconds to stop the candy from cooking. Add the extracts and food coloring and stir very gently with a wooden spoon so the color is evenly distributed.
Pour the syrup over the gummy worms and just over the stick. Cool the candy for at least 20 minutes.
Lift the lollipops off the silicone and either serve immediately or wrap in an airtight container.

Now, tell me I can’t plan an awesome night of fun with a few close friends!

African Americans Pat and Gina Neely own some of Tennessee's most popular bbq joints, and bless the masses with their recipes on the Food Network,every week.  Their recipes look good enough to mak a vegetarian scarf down some pork.  The best thing about them is their creations range in difficulty level, so you'll probably find at least two dishes that you can prepare for your party.  Despite the fact that most of their food isn't herbivore friendly, there are some salads and veggie-centric dishes in the mix, like zuchini gratin etc..You have to tune in to Satellite TV to watch Food Network in HD and see it for yourself.  It is a fun time and the food look so good!

Kudos to the Food Network for constantly rising to the challenge of continuously peaking the culinary curiosity of their avid fans by providing them with a constant influx of new and exciting shows.

The latest offering of the Food Network, The Cooking Loft, which is hosted by culinary creator and head chef Alex Guarnaschelli, at famed New York eatery Butter made its much anticipated debut last weekend. Let me tell you it was worth the wait. Chef Guarnaschelli's soft spoken, low key approach to cooking on this interactive show would make even the most novice of cooks confident in their ability to recreate all of the recipes she and her helpers prepared on the show. 

You can enjoy Food Network on Satellite TV in high definition on Channel 231

Guy Fieri (my favorite host on the food network) host of Guy's Big Bite and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, will be hosting yet another show (where does he find the time) on the Food Network. Information about Guy's latest culinary endeavor is limited, however becauuse of the trailers on the Food Network, I can tell you that the show is called "Guy Off The Hook" and will premiere on September 14th at 1:30 p.m. et/pt. How appropriate is using the phrase"off the hook" for the title of Guy's latest show, as those words are one he uses quite frequently on his shows. Did you know that"Off The Hook"  was supposedly the original working title that Guy wanted for his Food Network show, instead of Guy's Big Bite.

Since winning the Next Food Network Star competition, Guy's fame and marketability has risen at what seems to be warp speed. He is definitely smokin hot and the high volume of viewers who watch diners, drive-in and dives and made it such a success prove this fact out. While there are those who feel that perhaps Guy is getting too much exposure, I say no way. Guy's bigger than life persona is what makes watching his shows so enjoyable.

So whether you're a Guy Fieri Fan or a foodie at heart remember to watch "Guy Off The Hook" on September 14th on the Food Network. Oh yeah, did I mention that the Food Network is broadcast in HD on Satellite TV.  

What! You have got to be kidding me! Those are just a few of the words and phrases that I was shouting out when I watched the season finale of the Next Food Network Star on Satellite TV. I could not believe that Aaron Mc Cargo, Jr., an executive catering chef for a hospital was crowned the winner. What I wonder is if the home viewer voted and only their votes counted would their choice be the same as the judges. It is after all the viewing audience who will be tuning in to watch the winners show.

First off, while I like Aaron and thought that he dished up some fine culinary fare, he definitely didn't come across as having any real stage presence. Yes, I know that he was nervous and who wouldn't be when you have a limited amount of time to produce a perfect performance on command. You would think however, that by the finale you would have your jitters under control. I mean, shouldn't the winner just exude confidence, authority and chrisma. It's these characteristics that give you credibility with the home viewer.

Then there's the issue with the name of his show. Rather than Aaron coming up with a catchy title or titles as Lisa did, he just latched onto the name that was pitched to him by Gordon Elliot. Does that mean Aaron will let others dictate to him the menu/meals he should prepare for each of his shows episodes.

I have to wonder why Bob Tuschman (v.p. programming & production) and Susie Fogelson (v.p. marketing) and the rest of the Food Network execs. decided to get the premier for Aaron's show "Big Daddys House" up and running so fast. The show will air it's first episode on Sunday, August 3, 1:30 p.m. e/p. Perhaps the powers that be at the Food Network have determined that it's better to air the show as soon as possible, to seize the moment and draw the viewer in quickly so they don't forget about the show, as might happen if they were to wait several months to air it. Remember The Gourmet Next Door, which was hosted by season three winner Amy Finley. She was named the winner on July 22, 2007 yet her show didn't air until October 14, 2007. Just ask yourself, when's the last time you saw a new episode of her show.

Finally, because none of the contestants had every thing the judges were looking for, they should have named all three winners, called the show "The Revolving Chef" or some other crazy name and just rotated them on a weekly basis, thereby showcasing the talent and creativity of Adam, Aaron and Lisa and giving the home viewer not only diversity but the option to choose and watch their favorite contestant do their thing.

Next time I'll use my Satellite TV DVR to record the contest and fast forward to the award decision.

Do you like cooking but don't have a vast assortment of cookbooks lining your bookshelves? Perhaps you're a budding culinary chef looking for some more mouthwatering recipes to add to your collection. Maybe you're just tired of seeing the same old, same old, on the Food Network.

If any of the above describes you, then have I got a great channel for you to check out. The channel (hold onto your hats) is PBS. If you haven't watched PBS lately you don't know what you're missing. The network/channel airs a wide variety of cooking shows which encompass a diverse offering of gastronomical delights. You can watch and learn tips and techniques from well known chefs as they prepare dishes from the simple to the sophisticated.

Some of my personal favorite are America's Test Kitchen, Everyday Food and Everyday Baking from Everyday Food( Martha Stewart fans will love these shows). I have prepared, much to my family's delight, a fair number recipes that have been showcased in various episodes of the above mentioned shows. I enjoy these shows enough that I have set my DVR to record each series so I don't miss out on any of the recipes.

If you're a culinary show junkie like me, then be sure to give PBS a look see. There's sure to be a cooking show that offers up recipes for scrumptious meals that would bring a smile to the face of those who consider themselves to have the most discriminating of palates.

Note* Check the listings of your PBS station to see what cooking shows are airing in you area.

Food Network Foodies who are fans of the Dinner Impossible show will be ecstatic to know (if you don't already) that the show is making a comeback. The show is slated to premier sans chef Robert Irvine, with new episodes on Wednesda,y August 20th at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

While the show will be hosted by a new chef and sporting a somewhat different logo the show's theme still remains the same. Create mouth watering, scrumptious and eye pleasing food for a varying sized crowd of people in a limited amount of time.

The new Dinner:Impossible will be hosted by Chef Michael Symon who besides being the owner of Lola & Lolita, 2 critically acclaimed restaurants in the Cleveland area has also garnered numerous awards for his culinary creations. Chef Symon is no stranger to the Food Network. He has hosted over 100 episodes of The Melting Pot. He has also appeared on Sara's Secret's with chef Sara Moulton and Food Nation with Bobby Flay. If those credentials aren't impressive enough Chef Symon also competed on The Next Iron Chef in 2007 and won the coveted title of Iron Chef.

On Sunday, July 20th I managed to catch Dinner: Impossibe with chef Symon and was pleasantly surprised. His entire persona is so different from his predecessor chef Robert Irvine. He comes across as easy going and fun loving. Two admirable qualities which make him fun to watch while he attempts to complete the impossible.

So if you haven't already seen Chef Symon in action, then be sure to tune in to the Food Network on Wed. Aug., 20th and watch a culinary master take on the mission of successfully accomplishing, Dinner:Impossible.